Natural Conservancy of Canada - Assignment Example

?Natural Conservancy of Canada Environment activism encompasses an ideology of preservation and conservation of the natural environment. It is a social, scientific and political movement that seeks to improve and restore the environment. It has now been globally accepted that environmental issues represent challenges to the daily lives of human beings. It is now no longer acceptable that people use resources and produce wastes without taking heed of the earth’s capacity. It is now necessary that people channel their social activities in accordance to the biological limits of the earth. Environmental activities and protection of the environment are not the only goals of society; hence such activities must be balanced with the economic well-being. For some decades, private industries, government or non-government organizations are becoming involved in environmental activities. All these organizations strive towards moulding human activities in alignment with environmental issues. Currently there are thousands of non-government organizations (NGOs) that work with the objective of protecting the natural environment. The power and scope of some such organizations are so large that their budgets more often exceed the national budgets of many countries on environmental issues. Some best known organizations are Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Chipko Movement, Conservation International etc (Wapner, 2). Natural Conservancy of Canada The organization selected for this paper is Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). It is a Canadian non-profit charitable environmental organization. It was established in November 1962 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012. The mission of the organization is to protect the areas of natural diversity including land, water, plants, animals, ecosystems and landscapes for the young and future generations. The organization initiates and innovates strategies and technologies to conserve the natural heritage of Canada. The website of this organization is http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/ . The biological diversity of this planet is getting reduced at an alarming rate. This is a matter of grave concern as it threatens the quality of human life and risks the lives of future generations. The activities of NCC are “guided by the belief that society will be judged by what it creates in the present and what it conserves for the future” (“Missions and Values”). The NCC secures lands through purchase or donations and then preserves these properties for the long term. The organization procures land either through direct purchase from the private landowners like corporate and individuals, or through donations from private landowners. NCC also enters into conservation agreement with landowners. According to this agreement the landowners agrees to avoid doing any such activities that would be harmful to the ecological value of the land. NCC has a panel of conservation science professionals whose purpose is to formulate and execute plans and strategies for the long term protection, management and restoration of natural resources of Canada. NCC also contributes to environmental education on environmental evaluation, management concepts or proposals. NCC follows a four step procedure for conservation process. Firstly, they set priorities by identifying the land area to conserve, or by identifying species and habitats whose life and health need to be protected. Secondly, the organization develops strategies to protect and conserve the species and habitats. Thirdly, they apply these strategies either alone or with cooperation from partners. Fourthly, they assess the result of their actions. They supervise the efficiency of their strategies, and assess whether the species and habitats are well protected and their overall health is improved (“The Conservation Process”). The NCC shares and applies various values while working across Canada. The NCC has the advantage of procuring the best available scientific consultancies regarding conservation and protection. They work in a non-confrontational manner. They manage land, water and living species for their intrinsic values. They work in alignment to promote the natural processes of the environment. Their activities do not hamper nature’s own processes. They work to shape people’s social and environmental activities to sustain human life while at the same time conserve the country’s natural habitats and species (“Missions and Values”). Natural Areas Conservation Program (2007) In March 2007, the government of Canada took a major initiation for the purpose of protecting and conserving the nation’s natural environment. It introduced the Natural Areas Conservation Program with an initial investment of $225 millions to help NGOs and non-profit organizations to “secure ecologically sensitive lands to ensure the protection of Canada’s diverse ecosystems, wildlife and habitat.” A report published in March 2011 showed that the Program has protected 101 endangered species over an area of 160,796 hectares of habitat on 442 properties. In order to carry out an effective execution of the Program, the government entered into an agreement with the NCC. The program is run by advanced processes that are conceptualized by conservation scientists, and together with its partners the NCC works to procure lands that are ecologically vulnerable through “donation, purchase or stewardship agreements from private landowners.” The program is giving priority to those lands that are significant on national or provincial basis, and lands that hold habitats for endangered species and migratory birds, and also lands that connect existing protected areas like National Wildlife Areas, National Parks and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries (“Natural Areas Conservation Program”) I feel that the NCC is genuinely committed towards maintaining the ecological balance in Canada by protecting and conserving the lands that shelter endangered species. It also provides incentives to private landowners to refrain from doing activities that will harm the ecologically sensitive lands. A species can become extinct for several reasons like natural disasters, overhunting, pollution and diseases. I would recommend the organization to emphasize on creating parks to preserve and protects animals and birds from extinction. It is also recommendable to create educational programs to create awareness and promote action to protect land and water. Conclusion The NCC is a committed environmental organization that strives towards conserving the natural elements and also protecting endangered species. In collaboration with the government of Canada it is monitoring and executing the Natural Areas Conservation Program. The program has so far been doing positive progress by protecting over hundred endangered species. This program is an important initiative that implements strategies to preserve the environment. Questions:- 1. How important it is for the citizens of a nation to become environmentally educated considering that environmental conservation is a vast and complex matter? 2. How much collaboration is needed from the major political parties of a country with the environmental organizations since any environmental program requires vast amounts of funds and technologies? References “Missions and Values” Nature Conservancy, n.d., February 15, 2013 from: http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/who-we-are/mission-values/ “Natural Areas Conservation Program” Environment Canada, 25 August 2011, February 15, 2013 from: http://www.ec.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=56D4043B-1&news=8334AC21-47F1-4734-9182-A5EE2016A388 “The Conservation Process” Nature Conservancy, n.d., February 15, 2013 from: http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/conservation-process/ Wapner, Paul. Environmental Activism and World Civic Politics, Albany: SUNY Press, 1996 Read More